Dexter and The Moonrocks take the “Welcome to the Donkey Flats” Tour to Stage AE

After having to reschedule from early December, the internet’s favorite space cowboys Dexter and The Moonrocks rode the “Welcome to the Donkey Flats” tour to Stage AE in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Friday, January 9. They were accompanied by High June and Cigarettes @ Sunset.

An hour after doors at 8 p.m., High June hit the stage. Grunge to their core, High June brought the energy immediately. It’s not often at shows you see the crowd jumping and singing along to the first song of the opener, but that is exactly what happened here. Even though it was the band’s first time ever performing in the Steel City, it’s unlikely it will be their last.

With a mix of singer Jack Flowers running around the stage and getting up close and personal with his fellow band members, to guitarist Will Sain being spitting image of Slash, down to the hair, guitar, and stage presence, High June opened the night strong.

High June is made up of singer Jack Flowers, drummer Hayden Church, bassist Ryon Gerringer, and guitarists James Barbee and Will Sain. They come out of Eastern Carolina University in Greeneville, North Carolina and were formed in 2021, though did not lock in the current lineup until 2023.

Find High June on social media: WEBSITE INSTAGRAM SPOTIFY TIKTOK

[Cigs @ Sunset photos here]

Keeping up with the grunge feel but changing the tone a bit came Cigarettes @ Sunset. Self described as “Possum Rock,” Cigarettes @ Sunset blend in their Appalachian roots with the garage-grunge sound, creating a slower but just intense vibe perfect for this lineup.

Like High June, this was also the band’s first show in Pittsburgh. Keeping with firsts, the crowd was so into Cigarettes @ Sunset that we not only got the first crowd surfer of the night but also the band’s first crowd surfer ever.

About midway through their set, the members of Dexter and The Moonrocks came out with large boxes. Inside of which were bags of Lays chips, which the band tossed out into the crowd. More on that later.

The band consists of guitarist and lead vocalist Garrett Dellinger, bassist and backing vocalist Wells Whitman, drummer Ethan Moore, violinist Sarah Vann, and lead guitarist Ryland Bagbey. The band hails from Boone, North Carolina.

Find Cigarettes @ Sunset on social media: WEBSITE INSTAGRAM SPOTIFY TIKTOK

Around 10 p.m., the main event of the night came out. The self-proclaimed “Western Space Grunge” group Dexter and The Moonrocks entered (again). To say the crowd went nuts throughout their set would be an understatement. Crowd surfing during almost every song, a few mosh pits here and there, and singing along word-for-word, Pittsburgh showed up and showed out for the galactic cowboys.

Mixing in cover songs such as Tyler Childers’ “Messed Up Kid,” Colter Wall’s “Kate McCannon,” and Surf Curse’s “Freak” with their own originals, The Moonrocks made sure to always keep the crowd on edge with what would be played next. The first two especially reflect the band’s influences, putting a grunge twist on country-western songs that transcend genres lyrically. In a sort of playful retaliation, Cigarettes @ Sunset came out mid-set with their own boxes of chips. The Moonrocks used to throw Cheez-Its at their shows, but stopped and began boycotting the company after they wouldn’t sponsor them. “Fuck Cheez-Its” is now a common thing to yell at their shows.

The band consists of singer and guitarist James Tuffs, drummer Ryan Fox, guitarist Ryan Anderson and his brother bassist Ty Anderson. They hail from the central Texas town of Abilene, of which they owe their western-grunge sound, and were formed in 2021

Dexter and The Moonrocks will be taking a few weeks off before heading out west with Girl Tones through early February. They will then come back out to the mid-Atlantic from late-February through early-March, doing shows mostly with Cigarettes @ Sunset, though with Fox N’ Vead on February 28 in Asheville, North Carolina.

Dexter and The Moonrocks “Welcome to the Donkey Flats” Tour

1/22/26 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory +

1/23/26 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox +

1/24/26 - Bend, OR - Midtown Ballroom/Domino Room/Annex +

1/27/26 - Reno, NV - Virginia Street Brewhouse +

1/29/26 - Berkeley, CA - Cornerstone Craft Beer & Live Music +

1/30/26 - Roseville, CA - Goldfield Trading Post Roseville +

2/5/26 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriet’s +

2/6/26 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues San Diego +

2/7/26 - West Hollywood, CA - Troubadour +

2/26/26 - Greenville, NC - State Theatre *

2/27/26 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore Charlotte *